The present invention relates generally to operations performed and equipment utilized in conjunction with a subterranean well and, in an embodiment described herein, more particularly provides a multilateral well construction and sand control completion.
In multilateral wells (i.e., wells having at least one intersection between wellbores) it is desirable to isolate the wellbore intersection from fluids produced from the wellbores when the intersection occurs in a formation in communication with the intersection. Such isolation achieved by seals, packers, tubular strings, etc. within the wellbores results in a wellbore junction known to those skilled in the art as a TAML level 5 junction.
It is sometimes desirable to provide sand control in one or more of the intersecting wellbores. For this purpose, well screens have been used in the wellbores and some techniques have been developed for gravel packing and/or performing stimulation operations in the wellbores. However, these existing techniques typically require many trips into the well, and are thus costly and time-consuming to perform, or do not result in at least a TAML level 5 junction being formed.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that it would be quite desirable to provide improvements in multilateral well construction and sand control completions.